Thursday, April 5, 2012

Nature seems to be so alive at the moment here, even though we are moving into Autumn. Keeping this in mind, I made a good find at the op-shop today - Butterflies and Moths from The How and Why Wonder Books series. Printed in the 1960s, I adored these books when I was a child. I read Our Earth and Ancient Egypt religiously. The illustration below is from Butterflies and Moths. Buying this book, I was reminded of two little books I bought in Denmark. Stuefugle I Farver (Pet Birds in Colour - I am guessing here, having used a Google translation) and Insekter I Farver (Insects in Colour). Printed in the 1950s, I spotted them languishing on a trestle table at an outdoor junk market in Ribe on Denmark's west coast. One even has a little old Christmas card tucked into it, to Sinna from Søren (don't you love finding things like that in old books?)

From Insekter I Farver

A little sprig of tansy that I've put in water on the bathroom windowsill

Pretty little flowers on the windowsill - possibly weeds? - but lovely all the same

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

I might have mentioned before that our house is a little on the small side. Or, as my husband puts it, "we just have too much junk!". So, as I've been building up a steady supply of jewellery making bits and other crafting goodies, I've realised that I actually have nowhere to do any crafting. The study is currently full to bursting with books, work-related stuff and fimo, beads, balls of wool, knitting needles, sewing needles, the sewing machine, pieces of fabric, embroidery hoops, knitting looms, tools...you get the idea. So where to work? On the kitchen table doesn't really work because it always has to be packed up fairly quickly again. My husband has been doing his woodwork under the carport but there's no real space for me there. Then it dawned on me - the sleep-out. So, over the Easter break, I am going to clear up the sleep-out, throw out a lot of stuff that simply doesn't need to be there (unopened mail from 1998??) and make a little spot for myself there. My own little studio. I am quite looking forward to it.

I have been avidly watching Downton Abbey on TV these last few nights - they've been screening double episodes of season 1 since season 2 is on its way. I love it. But then, I have always been a huge fan of period dramas, trailing all the way back to the Merchant-Ivory extravaganzas of the 1980s. So I have to say that this spoof on 'bonnet dramas' really tickled my fancy.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

We're having something of an Indian summer here at the moment - summer is having one last blow out as we move into Autumn. Apparently Friday will be 30 degrees! It's lovely outside - flowers are blooming and the air is alive with bees, their legs heavy with pollen. Of course, there are some of us who really know how to enjoy the sun!